Chapter 542: Achieving the "Double Crown"
At 9 p.m. on May 8, following the match at Camp Nou four days ago, Atletico Madrid and Barcelona competed again at the Mestalla Stadium for the last glory of the season in Spanish football, the Copa del Rey.
Since every time you win a championship, you can get a reward of skill points from the system, so in order to ensure that the champion is not left behind, Feng Quan decided to use LV3's [Great God Light] in this game.
In the Camp Nou game 4 days ago, when Feng did not use the [God's Light] skill, Atletico Madrid, who was playing away, was inseparable from Barcelona.
And today, when Feng Quan used LV3's [Great God's Light], Atletico Madrid not only quickly grasped the initiative on the field, but also killed the suspense of the game in less than 40 minutes.
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Born through the Atletico Madrid academy, Saul is capable of playing anywhere in midfield and can often tear a gap in the opposition defence with his incisive dribbling.
However, Saul, who can play all positions in midfield, is still a certain distance from reaching the standard of an "all-round midfielder". Poor shooting accuracy (especially from outside the box) and a lack of penetration are two of the biggest obstacles that hinder its progress.
Because of this, unless Saul goes directly into the box, opposing players will generally deliberately distance him from him to prevent his breakthrough, but they are not worried about his through ball or long-range shots from outside the box.
In the eighth minute of the first half, Diego Costa's ferocious pressing in front forced Sergio Busquets to pass the ball directly to Saul near the centre circle.
Saul broke the ball and began to run forward, and when he got past Cesc Fabregas and into the 30-metre area, there were obvious gaps on the left and right sides of the Barcelona penalty area, with Feng Quan and Diego Costa just in the vicinity of the gaps.
At this time, Saul can choose to send a through ball to the empty space in the penalty area, or he can choose to advance to the vicinity of the box and shoot from a distance.
However, Saul, who was on the safe side, chose to give the ball to Griezmann, who was moving forward at high speed along the right flank.
Saul was right, but just as he chose to split the side, Barcelona's defenders not only filled in the gaps in the box, but also formed close marks against Feng Quan and Diego Costa.
Griezmann finally finished with an inside shot, but the ball was blocked by the well-guarded Valdés.
Just as Saul was coming to the top of the penalty area according to Diego Simeone's pre-match arrangement, Fengquan, who was supposed to be lying in ambush near the penalty spot, came over.
"Hey, brother, you should have been a little more daring with that opportunity just now. Even if there is a mistake, it is just a loss of an offensive opportunity. ”
"However, if the opponent directly breaks the ball and launches a counterattack, won't our backline be in danger?" Saul spread his hands.
"But if it works, Diego and I might be able to get the ball in the other side's door." Feng Quan smiled and patted Saul on the shoulder, and continued: "Moreover, you can also choose to take a kick yourself just now, even if it doesn't score for me and Diego, there will be a chance to make up for it." ”
Although Saul's passing skills are still far from those of a midfield master like Xavi, he is still capable of delivering threatening passes when the opponent rushes back to the defense.
In fact, the reason why Saul chose to pass the ball to Griezmann, in addition to the fear of being counterattacked by the opponent if he made a mistake, the main reason was that he lacked enough confidence in his passing accuracy and long-range shooting ability.
"Don't forget, Atletico Madrid has a part to play in getting to the top of Spain, so you have to believe that you can do better. What's more, even if you make a mistake and score a goal by the opponent, what can you do? Won't it be over if I get the score back? ”
With that, Feng Quan patted Saul on the shoulder again, and then stood at the penalty spot and waited for Gabi to send a corner.
Feng Quan, who radiated a confident glow all over his body, instantly ignited the blood in Saul's heart.
"Feng is only half a year older than me, even if I can't perform as well as him, at least I have to be as confident in myself as the other party!"
Saul, who had a fixed mind in his heart, soon reaped the rewards.
In the 13th minute of the first half, Feng Quan took the ball on the left side of the front field to attract the attention of three Barcelona players, and passed the ball to Saul, who received in the middle.
Meanwhile, two great headers, Diego Costa and Mario Suarez, quickly cut into the middle of the box, while Feng Quan and Griezmann quickly pulled near the corners of the box on either side, ready to meet Saul at any time.
After Saul received the ball, Busquets, who was responsible for defending at the front of the penalty area, did not immediately step forward to press, but subconsciously opened a certain distance to prevent the opponent from breaking through.
After seeing Busquets' reaction, Saul's face immediately showed a strange smile that was not easy to detect.
In the next moment, Saul first pretended to break through from the opponent's left side, then smashed the ball with his right foot, and then completed a long-range shot from a position about 234 meters from the goal.
As Saul rarely shoots from outside the box, Valdés didn't make a quick save until the ball dodged a number of players from both sides of the box and flew near the small box.
However, before Valdés could fully take off, the ball kicked by Saul had already grazed the post on the left side of the goal and drilled into the net.
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Although Saul's long-range goal has a certain relationship with Valdés' lack of preparation, Saul's long-range shot can be regarded as tricky. Therefore, when the football hit the net and fell into the goal, Saul, who was still in a shooting position, couldn't help but have an incredible expression on his face.
Yes, Saul has scored four goals in La Liga, but it was the first time he had scored from distance like today. And even in his usual training, Saul rarely chooses to shoot from a distance, let alone score a goal.
However, Saul, who rarely kicks from outside the box, scored a long-range shot from a rather tricky angle, which is quite normal for him to feel incredible.
At this moment, Feng Quan, who was originally cruising on the left side, came to Saul before all his teammates, shaking the other party's shoulders while excitedly saying, "Look, I said you can do it!" ”
Hearing this, Saul, who originally had an expression of disbelief, said sincerely: "Thank you, Feng. ”
"Haha, you really should thank me." Feng Quan said with a smile.
The other teammates thought that Feng Quan meant that Saul should be grateful for his assist, but in fact, only Feng Quan himself knew best, and Saul's long-range goal was largely due to the bonus of [God's Light].
In fact, Saul was not the only one who benefited from the Light of the Great God?
Griezmann, who was already known for his speed, suddenly showed a breakthrough speed similar to that of Feng Quan in this game; Felipe Luis and Juanfrán, who had often been overwhelmed by Messi and Neymar's dribbling rhythm in previous games, suddenly seemed very calm......
Just 10 minutes after Saul broke the deadlock, Diego Costa, who was "far more powerful than ever", easily crushed Pique from six meters in front of the goal and headed a cross into the top right corner of the goal.
In the 37th minute of the first half, Saul got rid of Andres Iniesta and Cesc Fabregas in the middle of the field and came to the top of the box.
In the face of Busquets' marking, Saul first pretended to shoot from a distance, and when the opponent stretched his leg to block the shooting line, he used a precise through ball to help the wind that was inserted into the left side of the penalty area to rewrite the score to 3-0.
Although Barcelona pulled a goal back from Messi early in the second half, Feng Quan and Griezmann seized two counter-attacks in the subsequent game to make the final score 5-1.
So far, Atletico Madrid, which has won La Liga and the Copa del Rey, has achieved the great cause of "double crown" for the second time after the 1995-1996 season.